


Welcome to Morison College

by rubyisarbitrary



Series: Morison College [1]
Category: The Chronicles of Alice and Ivy - Kellyn Roth
Genre: AU modern, Alternate Universe - College Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern, College AU, F/M, Gen, I don't know anything about college or English universities, Jordy is premed, Modern AU, Music major, Professor McCale, cultural inaccuracy, english lit minor, not realistic, premed, undergrad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-14
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:21:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27554515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rubyisarbitrary/pseuds/rubyisarbitrary
Summary: Modern college AU with Jordy McAllen, Ivy Knight, Violet Angel, and Felix Merrill.
Relationships: Ivy Knight & Felix Merrill, Ivy Knight/Jordy McAllen, Jordy McAllen & Felix Merrill, Violet Angel & Felix Merrill, Violet Angel & Ivy Knight, Violet Angel & Jordy McAllen, Violet Angel/Jordy McAllen
Series: Morison College [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2014093





	Welcome to Morison College

It took Ivy approximately an hour to find her dorm room. She'd been given directions - twice, actually, as she'd asked the RA to repeat the instructions - and she was afraid to ask again. Yet there were so many hallways at the Morison College dorms, and it was easy to get lost. At last, though, after triple-checking the room number she'd saved to her phone, she had arrived. She wasn't sure whether to knock or try the door, so she stayed outside for a moment and thought through her options.

"Hey, are you Ivy?" Ivy turned to find a girl about her own age, wearing a baggy sweatshirt with a Panic! at the Disco quote and leggings, standing behind her. She had shoulder-length dark hair falling over one eye with a neon blue streak.

"Yes." She smiled. "Are you-"

"Violet Angel." She pulled a keychain out of her pocket and jingled them. "Got here yesterday and learned your name. I asked them not to put me with anyone too loud - you know, a trumpet, basically." She shrugged. "I've found that most music majors can be hit or miss as far as bearability goes."

"Right! Well, I'm ... I'm quiet." She reached up to adjust the bag she had hanging on her shoulder. "You're music, too, then?"

"Yes. Well, maybe. We'll see what happens." She shuffled past Ivy and opened the door. "Go on in. I'm already set, and I've left something wherever I don't want you to put your stuff."

"Oh ... okay." Ivy stepped forward into pitch blackness. "Are the lights--?"

"Right. So I got here yesterday and then didn't sleep last night, so I went ahead and put up some blackout curtains." She reached around Ivy and flipped a switch. "You get used to it."

"... Oh." Or she could pull them back while Violet wasn't there. Either way. "So this is my bed?" She gestured to the one furthest from the windows. "Which--"

"My stuff!" Violet exclaimed. "See? Just fill literally anything that is not full, and you'll be fine." She dropped down onto her own bed and pulled her phone out.

Ivy set one of her suitcases on the bed and placed the other on the floor next to it. She dropped a backpack and her bag next to the first suitcase then rolled her shoulders. Well. For now, that was it. Her parents had promised to mail a few more things, but this would keep her going until then. "So, you're a music major. What are you--?"

"Instagram."

"What?"

"That's what I'm doing right now. Aren't you unpacking, not talking?"

"Oh. Yes." Well, if Violet didn't want to talk to her, Ivy didn't have to talk. She quickly opened her first suitcase and began tucking basics into the wardrobe.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket - she'd been ignoring it until then - and she pulled it out to see approximately twenty-five texts, mostly from her mother, but there were also a scattering from Alice, one from her father, and seven from Ned - well, probably Caleb on Ned's phone. She opened her mother's texts and slid the rest away.

_Did you get there okay?_   
_How was the train?_   
_Did you find your dorm? Is your flatmate there?_   
_Ivy, answer me or I'll call your phone._

Ivy shuddered. She certainly didn't want that. Civility prevented her from putting it on silent, but she hated the repeated vibrations her phone caused. Yet she also refused to change the vibration pattern. It was a vicious cycle.

_I'm here! It's nice. I met my flatmate. Her name is Violet. (:_

_Okay. Call tonight after you're settled?_

_I will! <3_

She dropped her phone on her bed and looked around. Well, what now? Today she was supposed to get settled and meet Violet, and she hadn't really thought it through past then. "Violet, I've checked in and everything, but was there anything else--"

"I'm sure if you've missed something, they'll track you down. You have schedules and everything already, right?"

"Yes." But there weren't schedules for the times when nothing was scheduled. She supposed most people would take longer to unpack, but the dorms were already furnished and Ivy would have to slowly ease into the space. She wasn't the type to cover every surface in her every belonging. Glancing around to see a bra hanging from a lamp, she imagined Violet had been quite thorough at covering everything she considers hers with "her stuff." "So you didn't sleep last night?"

"Yes, but I don't leave lights on necessarily. So you'll be fine."

"Oh-kay ..." What did she use to navigate? Echolocation? She lowered herself onto the edge of the bed. This wasn't fun. But then, it wasn't supposed to be fun - it was supposed to be educational. She picked up her phone again, continuing to ignore texts from her other family members, and opened Messenger. She always talked to Nettie on Messenger, and really no one else since she hadn't opened Facebook in years, and she never talked to Nettie over text unless it was to communicate something about a family get-together. Nettie was her mother's best friend, and practically her aunt, but Ivy felt it necessary to separate Nettie-Her-Aunt-and-Alice's-Mom from her counselor.

_Hi Nettie! I'm safe at college. So my flatmate is Violet, and she seems very ..._

Ivy hesitated then backspaced.

_... she is probably very nice._

_Hi! Does that mean you didn't talk to her?_

Ivy frowned. She had tried.

_She doesn't want to talk to me._

_Are you sure you're not projecting that on her? It's been maybe half an hour since you got there. And she could be shy! I think you should give her another chance._

Nettie was probably right.

_Right now?_

_No, it doesn't have to be right now. :-) Later is fine! What are you doing right now?_

_Sitting on my bed. I can't unpack until I'm settled, so I don't know what to do._

_Hmm. Well, it's 2 PM, so you might go for a walk. Grab a sweater, okay?_

Ivy hadn't taken her sweater off yet. She wouldn't, again, take her sweater off until she was settled.

_Okay. Can you tell Alice I'm not not texting her back?_

_I doubt she's noticed. :) You're fine._

Well, Nettie might think she was fine, but Ivy was not fine until she had responded to everything properly. However, there just wasn't sufficient energy for that at the moment. If she did that, she couldn't interact with people later.

She unzipped a sidepocket on her backpack, pulled out her pink earbuds, and plugged them into her phone. She pulled up one of Mozart's symphonies and began playing it before tucking her phone into her bag, putting in the earbuds, and walking out the door. She put the strap over her shoulder and she started out of the building, keeping track of her steps as she went to be sure she could easily find her way back.

* * * * *

Ivy got a salad on a tray and shuffled after Violet to the back of the room. Violet chose a seat at a small, empty table, and Ivy debated whether to sit next to her. She wanted to be friends with Violet, but Violet had shown no signs that she wanted to talk to Ivy. Besides, Violet had already pulled her phone out and was scrolling through what appeared to be Tumblr.

Ivy shrugged. She didn't want to bother her. So she glanced around, looking for another seat. There were a number of them, as it was still fairly early, but she soon caught sight of a boy sitting by himself. Now this wasn't unusual in and of itself, but first, he kept fidgeting, which told Ivy he was uncomfortable, and second, he kept glancing around, which told Ivy, based on the glances, that he was alone but wondering if anyone would talk to him.

So, without really knowing why, Ivy decided to cross the room.

"Is this seat taken?"

He glanced up at her, then down, then glanced at her plate. It took him a minute to reply as if he had to come to a decision on the matter. "Um, no. It's not."

"Thanks." She scooted back the chair softly with her foot and took a seat. "I'm ... Ivy. Ivy Knight."

"Felix Merrill." He pushed his glasses up his nose then let them slide forward.

"First day?" she suggested.

"Yes. First day." His lips twitched. "Do I look like I'm about to run or ...?"

"Well, no. You just look how I feel."

He shrugged. "Not all voluntary. I fidget a lot."

"Oh." She wasn't sure how to respond to that. "So like a nerve issue ...?" Was that even the polite thing to ask? She wasn't neurologically typical, but that didn't mean she couldn't use incorrect phrases toward people with disorders and disabilities. In fact, she felt she was more likely to misuse terms because, to her, what mattered was being able to define her feelings in a concise, understandable way - not being able to recite a medical condition. Though honestly that was more helpful for most than she allowed herself to admit.

"Uh, like OCD." He gestured at his plate. "If you don't believe me, I haven't let my macaroni-thingy touch my salad-thingy."

"Oh."

"But that's mostly because it would taste nasty," he said thoughtfully, "not because of the OCD. It's common sense."

That made sense. Ivy had felt a bit nauseous and only gotten salad, but she could understand not wanting her lettuce to taste like cheese slime. "So what are you here for?"

"Business. Boring stuff. You?"

"I plan on being a music major and minor in English lit."

"Oh, that's more fun! Though I don't understand music. I like to listen to it, of course - I'm not an alien. But I took piano lessons for six years and still can't get it to work. Chopsticks, yes, but there's a conformity to that."

Ivy nodded slowly. She didn't understand that exactly, but she could respect not having a passion for one thing or another. "I can't understand maths because there's such a conformity to it," she said.

"It all depends on what's up here." He tapped his temple. "If you can't get maths, you can't get maths. My stepmother can't. She was always asking me to do taxes for her." He rolled his eyes. "Like, from the time I was thirteen. Really dumb of her. I could've gotten her in serious trouble."

"Did you?"

"No. Not that I know of. But if she gets arrested, don't tell it was me." He smiled. "Anyway, I can't be held responsible for things I did when I was a minor."

They chatted on through dinner, and though neither of them mentioned it, Ivy hoped she'd see him again. Doubtless she would, if she looked for him - it wasn't that big of a campus.

She trailed after Violet back to their room. Once they were there, Ivy changed into her pajamas and flipped her covers back. She slid under the covers and pulled them up. She then remembered she hadn't unpacked the fuzzy throw blanket - it was weight, and there was no way she was going to sleep without it.

She caught Violet looked up from her seat on her own bed as she moved. Ivy quickly pulled her second suitcase from under her bed and unpacked the blanket. After unfolding and arranging it, she settled back in bed.

"Weighted?"

Ivy jerked a bit at Violet's voice then nodded. "Yes."

Violet lifted up the corner of one of the various blankets tossed on her bed. "Helps me sleep. You, too?"

"Yes. It has a stabilizing quality, and my ... my counselor recommended it. Years ago. I've had one ever since."

"Same, pretty much." A bit of a smile broke over Violet's face for the first time, then she quickly shut off the bra-draped lamp, plugged her phone into its charger on the floor, and rolled over.

Ivy turned off her own lamp and quickly texted her mother that she was tired, and would be going to bed early, before setting an alarm and plugging it in, too.

As far as first days went, it could've been a lot worst.


End file.
